From the British Museum’s Oxus Treasure to Robert Byron’s classic travelogue The Road to Oxiana, Central Asia’s longest river has long made its mark on popular culture. But where is the source of the River Oxus? This question puzzled generations of Great Game geographers, diplomats and spies, and was only answered by Sophie Ibbotson’s Oxus Expedition in 2025. Sophie will speak about her search for the source in Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor, her journeys following the river’s course across Central Asia and the people and places along the way. She’ll also reflect on the impact of climate change in one of the world’s most ecologically fragile regions.

Oxus will be published by Icon Books in spring 2027.

Sophie is the founder of Maximum Exposure Ltd, the author of five Bradt Travel Guides, and Uzbekistan’s Ambassador for Tourism. When she’s not working in Central Asia and the Caucasus, you will probably find her on a ski slope or in a good bookshop or country pub.

You can catch up with Sophie on her Instagram.

Interior of Mazlumkhan Sulu Mausoleum, Uzbekistan

Upper Oxus catchment region

Traditional Surkhandarya region garment, Uzbekistan

Mountain path in Tajikistan, looking back to the Wakhan Corridor